How We Chose Which Vitamins for Children Are Right for Our Family
Vitamins, especially vitamins for children, are everywhere. Even our local grocery store has it's own brand of 'natural' vitamins that claim to deliver the goods to your child's growing body. But, for us, the stakes were very high. We needed to know for SURE that the vitamins for children we gave our son were going to work and work well. That's because our son has suffered from chronic asthma symptoms since babyhood, and some of his major triggers (aside from allergies) are colds and viruses. We were on a quest to keep that boy healthy. The plan was simple: Fewer Colds = Fewer Asthma Symptoms We were determined to help him fight the viruses that, if caught, kept him under the weather for days or weeks at a time. Other kids, including his sister, might bounce back in a few days' time with a cold. But not our little asthma-sufferer. They always hit him harder and for longer - plus he had to deal with asthma symptoms. We were pretty fortunate in that we had a head start on the vitamin search. While I was growing up, my mom always insisted that we took our vitamins regularly. And they weren't just any vitamins. She had spent a ton of time reading, listening, and researching vitamins and health after my dad suffered some scary heart-related health issues in his thirties. Since then, she's introduced me to many knowledgeable people along the way who have helped both of us learn more about our own health and how to help our families. Needless to say, when I wanted a good prenatal vitamin and my OB recommended 'any that includes folic acid', I turned to the same nutrition products I had used as a child. They were top-of-the-line and I trusted them. Since I had stopped taking vitamins when I left home (and mom) for college, I quickly noticed that I felt better after a few weeks of taking them faithfully. I felt healthier. Had more energy. But I decided to look around on my own anyway, just to make sure that these were the vitamins for children I wanted to use for my own kids. Still didn't want to 'just go' with mom's opinion, I guess! (Sorry mom, if you're reading this!) I soon found out that not all vitamins are the same. The industry, at this time, is poorly regulated (if at all) - so we have to rely on ourselves to research the health products and companies that produce them if we are going to trust them with our children's health.
Here are the guidelines I followed to help make sure I was picking the best vitamins for children - or anyone, for that matter. It's a list compiled by Susie Brokaw, and I find it to be very complete. Today, my son knows that vitamins for children are important and keep him healthy. He knows to ask for them if I forget, and he knows which ones to ask for if he's starting to feel cold symptoms coming on. And he's healthier than ever. Return to Top of Vitamins For Children
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